Inverter shore power question

D

dalehelman

Active member
Joined
Jul 4, 2021
Messages
35
Fluid Motion Model
C-248 C
When plugged into shore power with the AC beakers on. Can the inverter beakers be turned on without damage?
2007 RT 25c
 
I believe so but don't understand why you would want to do that?
 
It seems it could be easily done by accident?
If I understand the inverter correctly. When not connected to shore power or with the AC breakers off. You turn on the inverter breaker and the inverter master switch to be able to use the inverter outlet.
 
There is no reason to use the inverter if you are on shore power.


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You should not have the AC shore power breaker on and the Inverter breaker on at the same time. The panel should be wired to prevent this. The neutral and ground are connected together at the inverter. The neutral from the inverter should not be connected to the neutral bus when the shore power is on. Without knowing what inverter you have, Charger/inverter does have a transfer switch that isolates the neutral to ground when on shore power. If the inverter is just invert without a transfer switch the breaker (double pole) must be off when the shore power breaker is on.

As others have said there is no need to have the inverter in invert mode when using shore power.
 
The reason for asking these questions is. The only way I have power to my inverter outlets is when I am on shore power with both AC and inverter breakers are on. Something is not right.
 
If you have a combination inverter/charger then leave the breaker on
 
I just want to point this out as an observation.

On a gasoline powered boat, anything placed in the cockpit area, near gasoline, must be ignition protected. I am not aware of an inverter that is ignition proof. Thus, the inverter should be installed away from the cockpit (in the cabin somewhere). On my RT27-OB, it came with a battery charger in the cockpit and an inverter inside the cabin.

Diesel powered boats don't have this requirement. Thus, a diesel powered boat would have an Inverter/Charger. This is a single device that converts AC to DC (charger) and DC to AC (inverter).

The outboard will have an inverter and a charger as two separate devices. There's a mechanism on the AC panel that should prevent both shore power and the inverter breakers being turned on at the same time.

An inboard boat would have an inverter/charger (single device) which could be configured to provide AC power should shore power be disconnected.

For a 2007 R25 classic, I have no idea if the original poster has an charger and an inverter, or whether they have an inverter/charger.
 
Submariner":1ufkdigl said:
Diesel powered boats don't have this requirement. Thus, a diesel powered boat would have an Inverter/Charger. This is a single device that converts AC to DC (charger) and DC to AC (inverter).
Click to expand...

This is a 50/50 with Fluid Motion products. Some have combination and others have separate charger, inverters.

My advise is to look at the way it is wired. Just because it is installed in the boat does not mean it was installed correctly. I have seem many inverter installations incorrectly installed including Fluid Motion installations. There is a ABYC recommendation for inverter installations. If incorrectly installed it will work but could have some serious safety hazards. Electrical installations in boats is much different than house hold electrical systems. If you are not sure of the ABYC recommendations I would advise having a ABYC certified electrician inspect the inverter installation. Not a good electrician ! A good ABYC certified electrician. When inverting the shore power circuit should be isolated for the inverter circuit.
 
dalehelman":1bg0s25w said:
Ours is a diesel with separate charger and inverter.
Click to expand...

It would help to know exactly what Inverter switches/breakers you are talking about. On my 2014 R27 Classic there is a separate Inverter and Charger. There are no specific “inverter” breakers other than the GFCI on the side of the inverter itself. Instead there is a rotating transfer switch to select the AC power source (Shore or Inverter). All AC breakers are available with either power source. It is up to me to make sure not to turn on breakers that will overload the inverter.

It sounds like your wiring is different and different from the newer boats. Please describe, then maybe we can provide more helpful advice.

Curt
 
Problem solved. With a little work I located the manual for my Magnum MM612 inverter. It is an inverter only. My first question was it ok to have the shore power plugged in and the AC breaker turned, and also have the inverter breaker on at the same time. The answer is yes. That allows all of the AC outlets to function including the inverter outlets. It allows the shore power to flow through the inverter. The reason I had no power from the inverter when the shore power was disconnected. Was that the inverter was not actually turned on. There is a very small on/off button on the inverter which is very easy to over look. Once turned on everything works designed. Thanks to all for your input.
 
When asking a question like this it would have been an easy answer if you had stated the type of inverter and the model. You are correct the Magnum has a transfer switch built in so there is a disconnect of Neutral ground when shore power is available. Without knowing the equipment and installation it is hard to say it is ok. I would rather state worse case not knowing who installed it and what inverter it is. A MM612 is a small 600 W inverter with a transfer switch. You should be just fine using that for small 120V appliances plugged into the outlets. I would still check the wiring because I don't think that is a factory install.
 
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